S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8455
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             December 29, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Health
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend the public health law, in relation to establishing an
   early intervention loan repayment program
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1.  The  public health law is amended by adding a new section
 2560 to read as follows:
   § 2560. EARLY INTERVENTION LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.  1. THERE IS HEREBY
 ESTABLISHED WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT AN EARLY INTERVENTION  LOAN  REPAYMENT
 PROGRAM.
   2.  (A)  WITHIN  SIXTY DAYS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, THE
 DEPARTMENT SHALL DEVELOP A FUND AND MAKE MONIES  AVAILABLE,  SUBJECT  TO
 APPROPRIATIONS,  FOR  PURPOSES OF LOAN REPAYMENT AWARDS FOR EARLY INTER-
 VENTION PROVIDERS AS DEFINED BY THE DEPARTMENT, IN ACCORDANCE  WITH  THE
 PROVISIONS  OF  THIS  SECTION.  SUCH FUNDING SHALL BE AWARDED REGIONALLY
 WITH FIFTY PERCENT OF THE FUNDS MADE AVAILABLE TO PROVIDERS WITH A PRIN-
 CIPAL RESIDENCE WITHIN THE CITY OF NEW  YORK  AND  THE  REMAINING  FIFTY
 PERCENT  MADE  AVAILABLE TO PROVIDERS WITH A PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE OUTSIDE
 THE CITY OF NEW YORK. SUCH FUNDS SHALL BE DISTRIBUTED IN A MANNER TO  BE
 DETERMINED  BY THE COMMISSIONER WITHOUT A COMPETITIVE BID OR REQUEST FOR
 PROPOSALS.
   (B) LOAN REPAYMENT AWARDS UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE AWARDED TO REPAY
 STUDENT LOANS FOR EARLY INTERVENTION PROVIDERS WHO WORK IN AREAS  DETER-
 MINED  TO  BE UNDERSERVED AND WHO AGREE TO SERVE FAMILIES, IN-PERSON, IN
 UNDERSERVED AREAS FOR A PERIOD OF THREE CONSECUTIVE YEARS.  "UNDERSERVED
 AREAS" SHALL BE LOCATED IN NEW YORK STATE AND SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT  BE
 LIMITED  TO  MEDICALLY  UNDERSERVED  POPULATIONS,  MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED
 AREAS, HEALTH CARE PROVIDER SHORTAGE AREAS, AND OTHER  AREAS  AND  POPU-
 LATIONS  WHERE  THERE  IS  A SHORTAGE OF EARLY INTERVENTION PROVIDERS AS
 DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13866-01-3
              

 A. 8455                             2
 
   (C) LOAN REPAYMENT AWARDS MADE UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL NOT EXCEED THE
 TOTAL QUALIFYING OUTSTANDING STUDENT  LOAN  DEBT  AMOUNT  OF  THE  EARLY
 INTERVENTION PROVIDER. QUALIFYING STUDENT LOANS UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL
 INCLUDE  LOANS FOR TUITION AND OTHER RELATED EDUCATION EXPENSES, MADE BY
 OR  GUARANTEED  BY THE FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT, OR MADE BY A LENDING
 OR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION APPROVED UNDER TITLE IV OF THE FEDERAL HIGHER
 EDUCATION ACT. LOAN REPAYMENT AWARDS SHALL ONLY BE USED  TO  REPAY  SUCH
 OUTSTANDING DEBT.
   (D)  EARLY INTERVENTION PROVIDERS SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR LOAN REPAYMENT
 AWARDS TO BE DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER, OVER  A  THREE-YEAR  PERIOD
 AND  DISTRIBUTED  AS  FOLLOWS: THIRTY PERCENT OF THE TOTAL AWARD FOR THE
 FIRST YEAR, THIRTY PERCENT FOR THE SECOND YEAR, AND ANY  UNPAID  BALANCE
 OF THE TOTAL AWARDS NOT TO EXCEED THE MAXIMUM AWARD AMOUNT FOR THE THIRD
 YEAR.
   (E)  IN  THE  EVENT THE THREE-YEAR COMMITMENT AS PROVIDED BY PARAGRAPH
 (B) OF THIS SUBDIVISION IS NOT FULFILLED, THE RECIPIENT SHALL BE RESPON-
 SIBLE FOR REPAYMENT OF AMOUNTS PAID BY THE DEPARTMENT,  WHICH  SHALL  BE
 CALCULATED  IN ACCORDANCE WITH A FORMULA SET FORTH IN SUBDIVISION (B) OF
 SECTION TWO-HUNDRED FIFTY-FOUR-O OF TITLE FORTY-TWO OF THE UNITED STATES
 CODE, AS AMENDED, OR ANY REGULATIONS MADE THEREUNDER.
   3. THE COMMISSIONER MAY POSTPONE, CHANGE OR WAIVE  THE  SERVICE  OBLI-
 GATION  AND  REPAYMENT  AMOUNTS  SET  FORTH IN PARAGRAPHS (B) AND (E) OF
 SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION IN INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE  THERE
 IS COMPELLING NEED OR HARDSHIP.
   4.  WITHIN  NINETY  DAYS FOLLOWING THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION,
 THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ESTABLISH A WORKING  GROUP  CONSISTING  OF  MEMBERS
 APPOINTED  FROM  PROFESSIONAL  ORGANIZATIONS  REPRESENTING  EARLY INTER-
 VENTION PROVIDERS ("THE WORKING GROUP"). THE  WORKING  GROUP,  NO  LATER
 THAN  SEPTEMBER THIRTIETH, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE SHALL MAKE RECOMMEN-
 DATIONS, TO THE DEPARTMENT, ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION  OF  A
 STREAMLINED  APPLICATION  PROCESS FOR THE EARLY INTERVENTION LOAN REPAY-
 MENT PROGRAM SET FORTH UNDER THIS SECTION.
   5. IN THE EVENT THERE ARE UNDISTRIBUTED FUNDS AVAILABLE FOLLOWING  THE
 THREE-YEAR DISTRIBUTION PERIOD AS PROVIDED UNDER SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS
 SECTION,  SUCH  FUNDS SHALL BE REALLOCATED AND DISTRIBUTED IN CURRENT OR
 SUBSEQUENT DISTRIBUTION PERIODS IN A MANNER DETERMINED  BY  THE  COMMIS-
 SIONER FOR THE PURPOSE SET FORTH UNDER THIS SECTION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect April 1, 2024.